Electrical & Computer
Engineering

Arthur Pachachura

Class of '20

1. What did you study within the ECE Department?

I studied Computer Engineering.

2. What is your current position?

I will be starting to work with Credera this coming summer as a consultant.

3. How has UT Dallas prepared you for your job?

Some of the classes that I took at IT, specifically the ones in entrepreneurship and software design prepared me for actually even getting the internship that got me this job, as well as being able to have the opportunities to start a project of my own. In addition to that, something else that really helped me was a lot of the clubs I was involved with. Without those clubs, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to lead projects and help other people, which ultimately is what got me to where I am today.

4. Tell us about your time with the IEEE Student Chapter and how it helped you in your academic and professional career.

I was with IEEE ever since my freshman year, where I started as a tutor. From that point, I was helping other students learn the material they needed to succeed in class. Later on, I became an officer and I was able to lead tech workshops and other small events, and after that, I started a program that helped students learn about technology from other students.

That experience is what really got me to understand that “Okay, I really like this consulting thing!” It’s not only something that I really enjoy doing, but I really enjoy working with the people who are asking the questions and building trust with them. Working with them is what really got me to say “Yeah, I really enjoy consulting”.

5. What is EPICS and how were you involved with that organization?

EPICS stands for “ Engineering Projects in Community Service.” They are an organization that reaches out to non-profits mainly in the Dallas area and they have students work on projects at no charge for the organization. I started with EPICS in my sophomore year, and I worked with them for six semesters. When I started out, I was put on a project called Trusted World. They’re a non-profit that deals deliver products frim food banks, shelters, police departments, any organization that has clothing, goods, or other necessities and delivers them to people that need them. They asked us to build them a system to keep track of all the inventory, so basically you can imagine the back-end of Amazon. It took us 4 semesters to get there. The first semester I tool the EPICS class, and I worked on the project for quite a long time. We worked a lot of long hours, even though it was only a 1-credit-hour class. For the other 4 semesters, I ended up mentoring the EPICS team, and I was still in touch with the CEO of Trusted Worlds, constantly staying in touch with him, constantly asking questions and getting answers.

6. Do you have any advice that you would give to current students so that they can make the best of their time at UT Dallas?

I think the biggest one is that you have to do something outside of class. I would not be where I am now if I didn’t take all these initiatives and take things outside of my major, work with clubs, and honestly have fun with other organizations. I met some of the most fantastic people that I still work with and see every day through student organizations at UTD. Get involved!

7. What did you learn during your time at UTD that you will take with you throughout your professional career?

I guess one of the biggest ones that normally, as a computer engineer, you think your most important resource is your own time or maybe how much money do you have to build something, or what physical, tangible resources do you have. UTD taught me that people are the most important resource and I learned that through my entrepreneurship classes and just by working with the people around me on really cool things.